Quickstart: Register your app

Register a Teams app and its bot infrastructure with the Teams CLI (@microsoft/teams.cli). At the end you'll have a running agent installed in Teams.

If you don't have an agent yet, step 3 scaffolds one using the Teams SDK. If you already have a server, skip step 3 and pass your endpoint to step 4.

Let your AI assistant do this for you

Install the teams-dev skill in Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, or VS Code, then say "create a Teams bot" — your assistant runs every step on this page for you, including the tunnel setup and sideload link.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20 or later
• An M365 account with custom app upload (sideloading) enabled on the tenant. Step 2 will check this.
• A public HTTPS tunnel pointing at your local server (e.g. DevTunnels, ngrok). Start it before step 4.

1. Install the CLI

npm install -g @microsoft/teams.cli@preview
teams --version

2. Log in

teams login
teams status

teams status should show Sideloading: enabled. If it shows disabled, your tenant admin needs to enable custom app upload before you can install your bot.

3. Scaffold a project

Skip this step if you're bringing your own server endpoint.

TypeScript

teams project new typescript echo-bot
cd echo-bot

C#

teams project new csharp echo-bot
cd Echo.Bot/Echo.Bot

The C# scaffold creates a solution at Echo.Bot/ with the project nested inside. Follow the Next steps line printed by the CLI for the exact path.

Python

teams project new python echo-bot
cd echo-bot

The default template is echo. Run teams project new <language> --help to see other templates available for your language.

4. Register bot infrastructure

Start your tunnel first

Teams must reach your bot over public HTTPS — your localhost port isn't reachable from Teams' servers. Before running the command below, start a tunnel (e.g. DevTunnels or ngrok) and replace <tunnel-host> with the hostname it gives you.

Learn more about local tunnels →

Run from inside your project directory:

TypeScript

teams app create \
  --name echo-bot \
  --endpoint https://<tunnel-host>/api/messages \
  --env .env

C#

teams app create \
  --name echo-bot \
  --endpoint https://<tunnel-host>/api/messages \
  --env appsettings.json

Credentials are written under a Teams section with PascalCase keys (ClientId, ClientSecret, TenantId).

Python

teams app create \
  --name echo-bot \
  --endpoint https://<tunnel-host>/api/messages \
  --env .env

The command prints a summary including the Teams App ID and an Install in Teams link, and writes credentials into your env file.

5. Run your agent

TypeScript

npm install
npm run dev

C#

dotnet run

Python

pip install -e .
python src/main.py

You should see listening on port 3978 🚀 in the terminal. Your tunnel will now forward Teams traffic to your local server.

6. Install in Teams

The Install in Teams link from step 4 is your sideload URL. Click it from a browser signed in to Teams, then Add.

If you closed the terminal and need the link again:

teams app get <teamsAppId> --install-link

Use the Teams App ID printed in step 4. (Run teams app list to see all your apps with IDs.)

Send your bot a message to confirm it's working.

What's next

• Quickstart: Build your first bot — wire up handlers and reply logic
• Agent Skills — let your AI coding assistant run this whole flow for you
• CLI command reference — every flag, every subcommand